Psychologists have always been interested in interest, and so modern research on interest can be found in nearly every area of the field: Researchers studying emotions, cognition, development, education, aesthetics, personality, motivation, and vocations have developed intriguing ideas about what interest is and how it works. Exploring the Psychology of Interest presents an integrated picture of how interest has been studied in all the wide-ranging areas of psychology. Using modern theories of cognition and emotion as an integrative framework, Paul Silvia examines the nature of interest, what makes things interesting, the role of interest in personality, and the development of peoples idiosyncratic interests, hobbies, and avocations. His examination reveals deep similarities between seemingly different fields of psychology and illustrates the profound importance of interest, curiosity, and intrinsic motivation for understanding why people do what they do. The most comprehensive work of its kind, Exploring the Psychology of Interest will be a valuable resource for student and professional researchers in cognitive, social, and developmental psychology.

Exploring Health Psychology provides comprehensive yet student-friendly coverage of both traditional topics in the field and important contemporary issues relating to reproductive, sexual, and psychological health. Using an informal, sometimes humorous narrative, the authors engage students of all interest levels, abilities, and learning styles by emphasizing the application of health and wellbeing psychology in their daily lives. Balancing depth and accessibly, each chapter describes the body systems relevant to a particular topic, incorporates up-to-date information and research, and contains relatable examples, real-world applications, compelling discussion and review questions, personal stories and vignettes, a running glossary, and more. Broad in scope, Exploring Health Psychology examines the interactions between biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors in psychological disorders and discusses their psychological and medical treatment. Critical psychological health issues such as anxiety and depression, the health of sexual and gender minorities, and the psychological dangers and pitfalls of the digital age are addressed to meet the needs of today’s students. An array of active learning features based on the SQ4R pedagogy—Survey, Question, Read, Recite, Reflect, and Review—enables students to take an active role in the learning process, develop effective study habits, strengthen critical and scientific thinking, and comprehend, retain, and apply the material.

Looking for an introduction to positive psychology that offers real-life examples? This overview of the science of happiness supplies case studies from some of the world's most successful organizations and describes ways to experience the personal impact of this exciting scientific field. Rather than focusing on treating what is "wrong" with a person, positive psychology seeks to understand and foster the things that drive happiness, creativity, and emotional fulfillment. This is a relatively new area of psychological study, and this reference book presents the research and practice of positive psychology in an informative and accessible format. Readers are given a history of the field, its current applications, and the future implications of this psychological discipline. Case studies from companies such as The Body Shop, Volvo, Zappos, and Google highlight the impact of positive psychology when it's applied in a modern business setting. These case studies, along with biographies of leaders in the field, highlight each chapter and connect the dots between the empirical theory of positive psychology and its practice. Readers also receive tools to apply the practices to their own lives.

The Health Psychology Reader is designed to complement and support the recent textbook Health Psychology: Theory, Research and Practice by David F. Marks, Michael Murray, Brian Evans and Carla Willig (SAGE, 2000). It can also be used as a stand-alone resource given its didactic nature. The Reader explores key topics within the health psychology field with incisive introductions to each section by the Editor and includes a selection of the most important theoretical and empirical published work.

Health psychology: an introduction to behavior and health.

What psychological and environmental forces have an impact on health? How does behavior contribute to wellness or illness? This comprehensive volume answers these questions and others with a state-of-the-art overview of theory, research, and practice at the interface of psychology and health. Leading experts from multiple disciplines explore how health and health behaviors are shaped by a wide range of psychological processes and social-environmental factors. The book describes exemplary applications in the prevention and clinical management of today's most pressing health risks and diseases, including coronary heart disease, depression, diabetes, cancer, chronic pain, obesity, sleep disturbances, and smoking. Featuring succinct, accessible chapters on critical concepts and contemporary issues, the Handbook integrates psychological perspectives with cutting-edge work in preventive medicine, epidemiology, public health, genetics, nursing, and the social sciences.

A truly interdisciplinary approach to the study of health, Health Psychology: An Interdisciplinary Approach uses the social ecological perspective to explore the impact of five systems on individual health outcomes: individual, culture/family, social/physical environment, health systems and health policy. In order to provide readers with an understanding of how health affects the individual on a mental and emotional level, the author has taken an interdisciplinary approach, considering the roles of anthropology, biology, economics, environmental studies, medicine, public health, and sociology.